Two thousand dollars later, Harry the Private Eye had discovered the woman was a married pharmaceutical sales rep James met at a hotel bar in Florida. Ever since, the two had burned up the lines with phone sex whenever Sharon hit the road out of Tallahassee to peddle allergy medicine.
That was abruptly curtailed, however, when Karen called the girl and threatened to tell Lance, her unsuspecting, redneck husband.
“Karen, I’m just curious, not judging one way or another, but how much more do you plan to spend on private dicks?” The question met with dead silence.
Hailey went on. “Is it really worth living with all the singles sites, the online chats, the hooker sites? Will you always need to know everything about what he’s doing when he’s not with you? Think about it…when you’re fifty, will you still be going through his pockets and reading his e-mails? Wouldn’t life be great with someone you trust? Or do you even remember anymore what that feeling is like? It’s a wonderful feeling, Karen, and you deserve that in your life.”
“Come on, you know I hate therapy talk. Fifty years old is still twenty years away.”
“Karen…this is therapy. You’re paying me one-fifty an hour, remember?”
“One-fifty’s not bad, and the insurance splits it fifty-fifty with me.”
“You’re hedging.”
“That’s because I don’t know all the answers. That’s what you’re for. I come here for answers and you beat me up with questions.” Karen sighed. “Can I just have some hot tea? Maybe with milk, just to be crazy.”
“I’ll fix it. What kind?”
“Sleepy Time?”
“It’s still morning…”
“To counteract all the caffeine I’ve had already.”
Hailey, sensing Karen shifting subjects short of reaching any tough decisions, headed to the kitchen to start brewing the tea.
From her perch on the sofa, Karen called out, “And would you please not call Harry a dick? He’s a certified, licensed private investigator and was highly recommended by a girl at work.”
“Okay.” Hailey pulled down Karen’s favorite Celestial Seasonings tea from the cabinet over the counter, along with two coffee cups.
“And he’s worth every penny, just like you are. Even if insurance isn’t splitting his fee,” Karen went on from the next room.
“I’m so flattered,” Hailey called out.
Karen went into the suite’s tiny bathroom and Hailey could hear her blowing her nose through the door. The commode flushed, and Karen called out through the closed door, “Hey, why do you keep all these framed law degrees hung in the bathroom? If I had all these, they’d be on display under a spotlight! What’s Law Review?”
Hailey paused and remembered hanging them over the toilet the day she moved into this office suite and started a new life. “Oh, I don’t know why I did that,” she called back. “Just making fun of all the pompous lawyers I’ve ever known, I guess.”
She tossed it off as a joke, but inside, Hailey knew why. On a Freudian level, the positioning of Hailey’s law degree, awards, and achievements there in her patients’ bathroom silently spoke volumes.
No more trying to right a world that was broken when Will was murdered. She had been saturated in her own crusade, a crusade that left her tired and broken at the end of the day, a crusade that forced her to relive Will’s murder with every felon she tried.
Hanging her law degrees perfectly centered over the crapper seemed to be poetic justice.
How clearly she remembered packing her trial materials for the last time the night the Cruise verdict came down. She had just watched the mothers, fathers, and loved ones of eleven murder victims troop out of the courtroom for the last time.
Karen emerged from Hailey’s bathroom with a red nose, but smiling.
They drank their tea and hugged good-bye, as always.
Hailey’s next scheduled patient was Melissa Everett, but she still had about fifteen minutes-and that was if Melissa made it on time.
Leaving her office door unlocked, Hailey went across the hall to knock on Dana’s. Her Post had been missing again this morning, and she had a good idea where to find it.
“Hailey!” Dana was there, with her coat on and her bag slung over her shoulder. “What’s up?”
“Are you going somewhere?”
“Just getting back. I had lunch with Greg. He wanted to make up for breaking our date last night.”
“That’s nice.” Hailey had heard all about that this morning. Of course Dana had been beside herself, worried that the new guy had already lost interest after they’d been going strong for a whole week.
Dana had really been looking forward to the date, too. She’d bragged about it for days ahead of time and obsessed over what to wear and how much she weighed.
Through it all, Hailey wondered whether to mention Adam. Dana pressed her for details after that first dinner, and for days afterward. But when Hailey had nothing more to report, Dana lost interest.
Something told Hailey not to share Adam’s pursuit. She couldn’t quite figure it out herself. Adam was great…in theory, but some lingering doubt, some nagging concern, something made Hailey leery. It was nothing she could put her finger on. But it wasn’t as if she could get a word in edgewise anyway, with all Dana’s excitement over Greg.
“You know, he’s really incredible, Hailey. Did I tell you he told me he’s going to cook dinner for me on Valentine’s Day next week?”
Hailey nodded. “You did.”
“Greg’s just so sweet, and such a gentleman-he’s got old-fashioned manners. Did I tell you he’s from the South?”
She had…along with everything else there was to know about Greg, a recent transplant from somewhere. He was great-looking and said he’d never been married-perfect, in other words, for Dana.
“I can’t wait till you meet him,” Dana said. She hurriedly shed her coat and pulled out a compact. “You’re going to love him.”
“He sounds really nice. What does he do for a living? Does he have a job?”
“Something legal, I think. I mean, I know he has a law degree. Hey! Maybe he can get someone for you and we can double date! You’re lawyers…you’d have so much in common.”
“That’s okay, I hate blind dates.”
“Hailey, I’m sure you don’t want to spend another Valentine’s Day all alone. I’ll see if Greg has a friend for you.”
“Isn’t he new in town? I’m sure he doesn’t. And even if he does, I’m not…” She broke off, hearing footsteps coming up the stairs.
“I hear a client, gotta go. Thanks anyway.”
She was sure it would be Melissa, but the footsteps turned out to be Dana’s next appointment. Hailey made a beeline for her own office, grateful to be extricated from the whole Valentine’s Day setup thing.
Only after she’d closed the door did she remember she’d forgotten to ask Dana for her Post. And now she finally had a chance to read it. Five minutes went by, ten, fifteen.
Hailey looked up Melissa’s home number and dialed it.
“Melissa, hi dear…it’s Hailey. We had an appointment at two o’clock…did you forget? Don’t worry. I’m here, waiting for you. Give me a call when you get this.”
She hung up. Being late had become Melissa’s routine, and Hailey had come to accept it, but it didn’t stop her from worrying. Hailey methodically busied herself, finishing paperwork, watering plants, and rinsing out the coffee mugs, keeping one eye on the clock.
A half hour had passed, then an hour.
Still no Melissa.
But Mazz showed up, right on time for his own appointment.
“I had a new dream about the monkey,” he announced, flopping into the chair opposite Hailey.
35
Atlanta, Georgia
“SO WHAT DO YOU SAY, FLOYD MOYE? HOW ABOUT WE MEET TONIGHT at Bones for a little dead cow and some serious bourbon and branch?” C.C. leaned back in his chair, feet propped on his desk, even more pleased with himself than usual.